Free AI coding tools (Oct 2026): what's actually free
Short answer: you can still code with AI for $0, but the free plans keep getting smaller. The big one this week: Google Antigravity Free loses Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Opus 4.6 on Nov 2, 2026. After that, its free agent runs on Gemini 3.8 Flash. GitHub Copilot Free is still the best free pick for your current editor (2,000 completions a month), Codex Free works in the ChatGPT desktop app, and Kiro Free is the one free plan we found that still lets you pick a Claude model.
Every free plan below was checked on the vendor's official pricing page or docs on Oct 27, 2026. Most vendors don't publish free quotas as numbers; where they don't, we say so instead of guessing.
Quick picks
- Free completions in VS Code or JetBrains: GitHub Copilot Free. 2,000 completions a month plus a little chat and agent use.
- Free agent in a full AI editor: Google Antigravity Free. Unlimited Tab, unlimited Command requests and a weekly agent quota.
- Free Claude after Nov 2: Kiro Free, with Claude Sonnet 4.5 on 50 credits, rate limited.
- Free OpenAI agent: Codex on ChatGPT Free, GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app (subject to rollout).
- Free app builder, no coding: Bolt Free (1M tokens a month, no card) or Lovable Free (5 credits a day).
- Students: Copilot Student is free, and Kiro gives eligible university students 1,000 credits a month for a year.
Every free plan, side by side
| Tool | What's free | Models on free | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot Free | 2,000 completions a month, limited chat and agent use, Copilot CLI and agent mode | Automatic model selection only (GitHub calls them entry level models) | Free credit allowance isn't published. Not available if an organization gives you Copilot. Individual plans may be used for training unless you opt out |
| Google Antigravity Free | Unlimited Tab completions and Command requests, an agent quota refreshed weekly, the CLI and scheduled tasks | Gemini 3.8 Flash. Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.6 (thinking) and GPT-OSS-120b until Nov 2, 2026 | Quota is described as "meaningful", not a number. No bring-your-own key. Gemini 4 Argon and Claude 5.5 models need Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo) |
| OpenAI Codex (ChatGPT Free) | Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app, subject to rollout | GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed | Desktop app only. The CLI, IDE extension, web, iOS, cloud tasks and code review start at Plus ($20/mo). ChatGPT's pricing page marks Free Codex as "Limited" |
| Cursor Free | Limited Agent and Chat requests in the Cursor editor | Cursor's own models only | No Claude, GPT or Gemini on Free or Plus ($8). Request count isn't published |
| Devin Desktop Free (formerly Windsurf) | Unlimited Tab completions and inline edits, a light agent quota | "Limited model availability" | Agent quota isn't published as a number |
| Kiro Free | 50 credits on a free tier that doesn't expire | Claude Sonnet 4.5 plus open-weight models (Qwen3 Coder Next, DeepSeek 3.2, MiniMax M2.1) if you sign up with a social login or AWS Builder ID | Subject to rate limits. 50 credits doesn't go far on agent tasks |
| Cline (open source extension) | Rotating, limited-time free models with a Cline account, up to a quota, in the IDE extension and CLI | Whatever Cline is offering free that week | Free usage may be used to improve the models. After the quota: ClinePass $9.99/mo, pay as you go, or your own API key |
| Gemini CLI (open source) | Runs on a Gemini API key. Google's API pricing lists Gemini 3.8 Flash as free of charge on the free tier | Gemini 3.8 Flash on the free API tier. Gemini 4 Argon isn't on the free tier | Google sign-in for free, AI Pro and Ultra users ended June 18, 2026. Free API tier content is used to improve Google's products |
| Lovable Free | 5 build credits a day (up to 30 a month), 20 Cloud credits a month | Managed by Lovable | About one small feature a day. Paid plans add credits and private projects |
| Bolt.new Free | 1M tokens a month (300K a day cap), hosting, unlimited databases, 10MB uploads, no card needed | Managed by Bolt | Sites carry Bolt branding |
| Claude Code | Nothing | None | Claude Free doesn't include Claude Code. Cheapest way in is Claude Pro, $17/mo billed annually or $20 monthly |
Sources, all checked Oct 27, 2026: Copilot plans · Copilot plans docs · Antigravity pricing · Antigravity models · Codex pricing · ChatGPT pricing · Cursor pricing · Devin pricing · Kiro pricing · Cline free models · Gemini API pricing · Gemini Code Assist for individuals change · Lovable pricing · Bolt pricing · Claude pricing.
Nov 2: the end of free Claude in Antigravity
Right now, Antigravity Free is the easiest way to run Claude Opus 4.6 as a coding agent without paying. Google's Antigravity models page lists Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.6 (thinking) and GPT-OSS-120b with a note: "Will be removed on November 2, 2026." Those 4.6 models are on the Free and Google AI Plus column and on Google AI Pro. Paid Google AI Pro users keep Claude through the newer Sonnet 5.5 and Opus 5.5, but Google says those are for non-trial subscriptions only, so people on a Google AI Pro free trial lose Claude on Nov 2 too.
For free users, that leaves Gemini 3.8 Flash as the only model on the list. If Claude is why you use Antigravity Free, here's where you can go:
| Option | Price | Claude you get |
|---|---|---|
| Kiro Free | $0 | Claude Sonnet 4.5, 50 credits, rate limited |
| GitHub Copilot Free | $0 | You can't choose. Free uses automatic model selection |
| GitHub Copilot Pro | $10/mo | Claude models inside 1,500 monthly AI credits (1,000 base plus 500 flex) |
| Claude Pro | $17/mo billed annually ($200 up front) or $20 monthly | Claude Code with Claude's own models, five-hour usage limits |
| Google AI Pro | $19.99/mo | Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Opus 5.5 in Antigravity, plus Gemini 4 Argon (not on the free trial) |
| Kiro Pro | $20/mo | Kiro's paid model lineup. First upgrade comes with $20 of credit |
One trap: Google AI Plus is a cheaper Google One plan, but Antigravity's models page puts it in the same column as Free. Don't buy AI Plus expecting Claude 5.5 or Gemini 4 Argon in Antigravity; that starts at AI Pro.
Best free pick by what you're doing
Autocomplete while you type
Copilot Free if you want to stay in VS Code, JetBrains or another editor you already use; 2,000 completions a month works out to roughly 95 per workday over 21 workdays (our math, not a GitHub number). If you're willing to switch editors, Antigravity Free and Devin Desktop Free both have unlimited Tab completions.
An agent that edits files and runs commands
Antigravity Free has the most generous-sounding agent quota, refreshed weekly, but Google doesn't give a number. Codex Free is a good second agent if you have the ChatGPT desktop app. Copilot Free includes agent mode and the Copilot CLI on a small credit allowance. Cursor Free and Devin Desktop Free let you try their agents, but expect to hit the limit in a session or two (our estimate, since neither publishes a number).
Building an app without coding
Bolt Free gives you the most room: 1M tokens a month with hosting and databases, and you can see and edit the real project files. Lovable Free's 5 credits a day is better for small daily changes than one long build session. Our Lovable vs Bolt page covers the paid plans.
Terminal
Free terminal options are thin. Copilot Free includes the Copilot CLI, Antigravity Free includes the Antigravity CLI, and Gemini CLI runs on a free Gemini API key with Gemini 3.8 Flash. Claude Code and the Codex CLI both need a paid plan (Claude Pro, or ChatGPT Plus) or an API key.
The $0 stack (our suggestion)
Each free plan has its own separate limit, so using several at once is the honest way to get more for free:
- Editor: Antigravity Free for unlimited Tab and the weekly agent quota, or Copilot Free inside VS Code.
- Second agent: Codex Free in the ChatGPT desktop app for tasks when your main quota runs out.
- Prototypes: Bolt Free or Lovable Free to get a UI on screen fast, then pull the code into your editor.
This is our suggestion, not a bundle anyone sells. None of these vendors publish how many agent tasks their free quota covers, so we can't promise how far it goes.
Who uses your free-tier code for training
| Tool | What the vendor says | Can you turn it off? |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot Free, Pro and Pro+ | GitHub may use prompts, suggestions and code snippets to train models | Yes, in your Copilot settings (github.com/settings/copilot/features) |
| Gemini API free tier (used by Gemini CLI with a free key) | Content is used to improve Google's products | Use a paid key; Google's pricing page marks paid tier content as not used |
| Cline free models | Usage may be used to improve the models | Use your own key or a paid option |
| Claude (Free, Pro, Max) | Model training is listed as opt-out | Yes, in Claude's privacy settings |
| Cursor | Privacy mode guarantees code isn't used for training | Turn on privacy mode |
We only list what each vendor's pricing page or docs said on Oct 27, 2026. If a tool isn't here, we didn't find a clear statement, so check its privacy settings yourself.
When free runs out: the cheapest upgrade for each
| Tool | Cheapest paid plan | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Plus $8/mo ($80/yr) | More of Cursor's own Grok and Composer models. Still no Claude or GPT |
| OpenAI Codex | Go $8/mo | More Codex in the desktop app on GPT-6 Luna. Plus at $20 adds GPT-6.1 Sol, the CLI, IDE extension, web and iOS |
| Cline | ClinePass $9.99/mo | Keeps you going after the free model quota |
| GitHub Copilot | Pro $10/mo | 1,500 AI credits a month and model choice |
| Claude Code | Claude Pro $17/mo billed annually, $20 monthly | Claude Code in the terminal, IDE and desktop |
| Google Antigravity | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo | Quota refreshed every five hours up to a weekly limit, Gemini 4 Argon, Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Opus 5.5 |
| Devin Desktop | Pro $20/mo | Bigger quotas, frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, and Devin Cloud agents |
| Kiro | Pro $20/mo | More credits, plus $20 of credit on your first upgrade. Extra credits $0.04 each |
| Bolt.new | Pro $25/mo billed monthly | 10M tokens a month with rollover, no branding |
Prices checked Oct 27, 2026 on the sources linked above, plus Google One plans. Lovable's paid price didn't load on its pricing page when we checked, so it's left out here; see our pricing guide. For every plan side by side, see AI coding tool pricing.
Students get more
- GitHub Copilot Student: free for verified students. GitHub also says verified teachers and popular open source maintainers may get Copilot Pro free.
- Kiro for Students: 1,000 credits a month free for one year at eligible universities. You need to be 18 or older and verify through SheerID; no card needed, and add-on credits aren't available.
- Lovable: its pricing page mentions a student discount but didn't show the amount when we checked.
Sources: Copilot plans docs · Kiro for Students · Lovable pricing. Checked Oct 27, 2026.
Ready to try one?
Every tool here can be cancelled monthly and has a free tier, so the fastest way to decide is a real task on each.
GitHub Copilot
Google Antigravity
OpenAI Codex
Devin Desktop
Lovable
FAQ
What is the best free AI coding tool right now?
It depends on what you want for free. For completions in the editor you already use, GitHub Copilot Free gives 2,000 a month. For a free agent, Google Antigravity Free has unlimited Tab completions plus a weekly agent quota, and until Nov 2, 2026 that quota includes Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.6. For building a small app without coding, Bolt Free (1M tokens a month) and Lovable Free (5 credits a day, up to 30 a month) both work. Checked Oct 27, 2026.
Is there still a free way to use Claude for coding?
Until Nov 2, 2026, yes: Google Antigravity Free includes Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Claude Opus 4.6 (thinking), and Google's model docs say both will be removed on that date. After that, the free option we found is Kiro Free, which includes Claude Sonnet 4.5 for people who sign up with a social login or AWS Builder ID, subject to rate limits, on 50 credits. GitHub Copilot Free picks the model for you, and Claude Free doesn't include Claude Code.
Is GitHub Copilot free?
Copilot Free costs $0 and includes 2,000 completions a month plus limited chat and agent use, with automatic model selection only. GitHub doesn't publish the size of the free credit allowance. It's only for individuals who don't get Copilot through an organization. Copilot Student is free for verified students, and verified teachers and popular open source maintainers may get Copilot Pro for free.
Is Cursor free?
Cursor has a Free plan with limited Agent and Chat requests. Cursor doesn't publish the number. Free and the $8 Plus plan don't include third-party models such as Claude, GPT or Gemini; those start on Premium at $30 a month and are billed at API list price.
Is Gemini CLI still free?
Not with a Google sign-in. Since June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI no longer serves free, Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra accounts that log in with Google. It still accepts a Gemini API key, and Google's API pricing page lists Gemini 3.8 Flash as free of charge on the free tier, but free-tier content is used to improve Google's products and Gemini 4 Argon isn't on the free tier.
Do free AI coding tools train on my code?
Some do by default. GitHub says it may use prompts, suggestions and code snippets from individual Copilot plans, Free included, to train models unless you opt out in your Copilot settings. Google's Gemini API free tier is marked as used to improve Google's products. Cline says usage of its free models may be used to improve those models. Cursor's privacy mode guarantees your code isn't used for training. Check each tool's settings before you paste anything private.
Lovable Free or Bolt Free: which gives you more?
They measure differently, so there's no exact match. Lovable Free gives 5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud credits a month. Bolt Free gives 1M tokens a month with a 300K daily cap, hosting and unlimited databases, and sites carry Bolt branding. Bolt's free plan doesn't need a card. See our Lovable vs Bolt comparison for paid plans.
Ship your app: the rest of the stack
Picked your AI coding tool? These are the usual next costs. Free tiers first, and prices checked Oct 20, 2026 on each vendor's pricing page.
Code review
- CodeRabbitAI review on every pull request, in GitHub or GitLabFree for public repos; Essentials $24/user/mo billed annually ($30 monthly)
Hosting
- VercelNext.js and front-end appsHobby free (personal, non-commercial); Pro $20/mo per developer seat
- NetlifyStatic sites and front ends, unlimited Pro membersFree; Personal $9/mo; Pro $20/mo with unlimited members
- RailwayBack ends, workers and databases with no server setupFree trial $5 credit; Hobby $5/mo incl. $5 usage; Pro $20/mo
- RenderHeroku-style web services, cron jobs and PostgresHobby $0 + compute; Pro $25/mo + compute
Database and auth
Domain name
- Cloudflare RegistrarDomains at cost with no markupWholesale price per TLD
- PorkbunCheap domains with free WHOIS privacyVaries by TLD
- NamecheapPopular registrar with hosting and email add-onsVaries by TLD
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